A typical household often encounters the need for temporary storage of garments prior to washing or cleaning. Regardless of the place where laundry or cleaning is done, either at home or in a commercial setting, soiled garments need to be sorted, stored, and eventually transported to a designated place. The present invention can be utilized for garment sorting, storage and transportation. The present invention can also be utilized as an organizer for various objects. For example, the present invention may be used to organize objects normally found in the trunk of a car. Alternatively, the present invention can also be used for other purposes, such as the storage or transportation of toys or other objects. Further yet, the present invention could be used as a child""s play structure or pet den structure. Accordingly, its use is multipurpose as both a container and structure.
Numerous devices are known in the art to provide effective storage of soiled garments, for example laundry baskets, conventional hampers, or clothing bags. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,625,973 to Weldon et al. teaches a laundry hamper comprising a rectangular frame having upper and lower portions that telescope within one another in a detachable manner. The lower portion includes a base frame, while the upper portion comprises a top frame. A cover is secured by a hinge to the top frame and an outer bag surrounds the rectangular frame. A plurality of small inner bags are provided within the outer bag. U.S. Pat No. 1,581,888 to Thomas discloses a collapsible receptacle comprising two rectangular wire frames, hingedly secured together, means for holding the frames to form a triangularly shaped structure, and a fabric portion covering the frames and providing an enclosure.
However, all these prior art devices are voluminous in their expanded state, are uneasy to fold or collapse, are still relatively voluminous in their collapsed state, and are difficult to manipulate. The present invention solves the above-mentioned shortcomings and provides a convenient, easy to manipulate, and ergonomic means for storing or transporting garments or other objects.
Other devices are known in the art to be collapsible structures. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,385 to Zheng teaches a collapsible play structure. This device forms a large cubicle that children can crawl through. However, each cube of the Zheng device utilizes three (3) frame members, preferably four members, to achieve structural integrity. The present invention may be practiced with as few as two frame members.
The present invention relates generally to a collapsible structure and specifically to a collapsible structure for storing articles or forming a child""s toy and method of making and using the same.
According to the present invention, the foregoing and other advantages are obtained by providing a collapsible structure comprising a plurality of side panels and a floor panel forming an enclosure having an open top. In the preferred embodiment, each side panel comprises a flexible continuous loop frame, a web of material, and an edging material. The edging envelops the frame and is coupled to the periphery of the web. The floor panel is attached to the bottom side of each side panel thus forming the structure.
In an alternative embodiment, each side panel is attached to a side panel separator, which in turn is connected to the next adjacent side panel. The floor panel is attached to both the bottom side of each side panel and to the side panel separators, thus providing means for holding articles within the structure and for supporting the structure in its expanded state.
In another alternative embodiment, a single frame member forms the frame structure for two side panels. Each side panel comprises a web of material and an edging material. The edging material is attached to portions of the web. The edging partially envelops the frame and is coupled to predetermined portions of the periphery of the web. The floor panel is attached to the bottom side of each side panel, thus forming the structure.
In accordance with an aspect of the invention, at least one handle member is coupled to opposite side panels at the open top of the structure. Alternatively, the handle may be coupled to only one side panel or may be an aperture formed within one or more of the side panels.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, an optional storage pouch may be coupled to one of the side panels at the open top of the structure. The present invention is easily collapsed into a compact state and the pouch allows storage of the structure in its collapsed, compact state.
In another alternative embodiment, the collapsible structure further comprises a divider panel, the divided panel being attached to diagonally opposite edgings of the side panels. In yet another alternative embodiment, the collapsible structure further comprises at least two divider panels, preferably arranged substantially parallel to each other and being coupled to opposite side panels to create at least three separate compartments within the structure.
A preferred method of manufacturing the collapsible structure includes the steps of attaching each handle member to a side of two opposite webs. The edging is next coupled to each web such that the edging surrounds the perimeter of the web and forms a channel or pocket through which the frame will later be inserted. After the requisite number of side panels has been formed, each side of the floor panel is attached to the bottom side of each side panel. Next, a side of each side panel is connected with a side of an adjacent side panel. The frame for each side panel is inserted through the channel formed by each edging. The ends of each frame member are connected, preferably using a crimped butt connector, to give the collapsible structure its ability to freely stand in a rigid, expanded, upright state.
An alternative method of manufacturing the collapsible structure includes the steps of supplying two attached webs of material. Next, edging is coupled to each web such that the edging substantially surrounds the perimeter of each web and forms a channel or pocket through which the frame will later be inserted. An opening in the webbing is left along the respective sides where the two webs are contiguous. A two-web side panel is thus formed. After a pair of two-web side panels have been formed, a single frame is inserted through the channel formed by the edging of each two-web side panel. Each frame first is threaded through the edging surrounding one web and then is threaded through the edging surrounding the second, contiguous web. The ends of each frame member are connected, preferably using a crimped butt connector, in a xe2x80x9cfigure eightxe2x80x9d configuration to give the collapsible structure its ability to freely stand in a rigid, expanded, upright state. The second two-web side panel is completed by the same steps. The pair of two-web side panels are connected together and a floor panel is attached along the lower edge of each side panel.
Yet another alternative method of manufacturing the collapsible structure includes the steps of attaching each handle member to a side of two opposite webs. Coupling the edging to each web such that the edging surrounds the perimeter of the web and forms a channel or pocket through which the frame will later be inserted. After the requisite number of side panels has been formed, each corner of the floor panel is attached to one end of each side panel separator. Next each side panel is connected with one side of the floor panel and with two adjacent side panel separators. The frame for each side panel is inserted through the channel formed by each edging. The ends of each frame member are connected, preferably using a crimped butt connector, to give the collapsible structure its ability to freely stand in a rigid, expanded, upright state.
From the expanded state, the structure can be folded and collapsed for storage or transportation. The preferred steps of collapsing the structure include grasping opposite corners of the floor panel and biasing one corner toward the other until all side panels are adjacent and overlay each other. The structure is now partially collapsed but each side panel is still in an expanded state. Next, the optional handle members and the floor panel are inserted in between any two of the adjacent overlaying side panels. By rotating two opposite corners of the flattened, overlaying side panels in opposite directions while biasing the two corners toward each other, the structure will form three overlaying circular loops folded adjacently. Finally, the three overlaying loops may be placed into an optional storage pouch. The pouch prevents the structure from springing back into its fully expanded condition. Alternatively, the three overlaying loops may be maintained in the collapsed state by way of an elastic band or other retaining device.